A discussion with Aaron Lowe, VP of government affairs for AAIA, about the implications of the Massachusetts Right to Repair (R2R) legislation.

Aaron Lowe, vice president of government affairs for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, discusses the importance of the Right to Repair Law in an interview with Elliot Maras, editor of Professional Tool & Equipment News.

This past August, Massachusetts became the first state to have a Right to Repair law. A lot has been reported about this law, and our readers have expressed a lot of opinions. The Right to Repair law is potentially one of the most important pieces of legislation for the automotive aftermarket. At the same time, it’s safe to say that repair shop owners are not of one mind on this law, which requires original equipment manufacturers to make their repair information accessible to aftermarket shops.

Many independent shop owners support the legislation. Some oppose it because they think it will add costs to the automotive industry and will yield few benefits. Still others support the legislation but don’t feel it will make a big difference in their futures.

In the interest of educating the aftermarket, we spoke with Lowe. Right to repair requires OEMs to make repair information accessible to independent repair shops. Lowe expands on the implications of the law and what is being done to promote it beyond Massachusetts.